THE ESPRESSOLOGIST

Age Range: 14 & up

Trying to save up for college, Jane had fallen into a rut serving countless cups of coffee and specialty drinks at a local coffee chain, but when she adds a twist to her talents as a barista, her life comes quickly to a rolling boil. During her shifts Jane writes short descriptions of the types of people that order particular drinks. For example, those who drink medium iced vanilla lattes tend to be “[s]mart, sweet, and gentle,” whereas a toffee nut latte lover is “[d]efinitely not what you expect. Very hot...very sexy...” As her notebook of drinks and associated characteristics grows, she realizes that she has a unique resource that enables her to act as an “espressologist,” successfully matching couples based on their drink orders. Although framed around a mildly interesting concept and told through Jane’s candid voice, the text becomes quickly predictable when Jane starts tinkering with her friends’ and her own love life. The present-tense narration is punctuated by the occasional IM transcript and delivered in an aggressive teen vernacular: “I can be such a sucky friend sometimes.” Ultimately forgettable chick-lit fare. (Fiction. YA)